The Trout Lake Research Station is inviting the public to step inside a limnologist’s world for an afternoon.

It’s holding an open house this Friday.

Trout Lake Station Director Tim Kratz says the research that scientists do at the station is relevant to a lot of people in the Northwoods.

“And one of the things we want to do is to help communicate some of the results that we’ve found. but also to hear from the community and visitors about what their concerns about lakes are, or what questions they might have.”

A new study on lake clarity across eight Midwestern states relies solely on data from citizen scientists.

WXPR’s Natalie Jablonski spoke with Noah Lottig, a research scientist based at the UW Madison Trout Lake Station, about the study’s significance.

The records dated back to the late 1930s and spanned eight Midwestern states. The trend across more than three thousand lakes was a slight increase in water clarity. And in Wisconsin and Minnesota, that trend was stronger in the northern regions.

A landmark study on acid rain came to an end today. Researchers took down a barrier that’s divided Little Rock Lake in two for nearly thirty years. Dismantling the curtain was no easy task.

Decades after scientists proved the effects of acid rain on northern lakes, it was time to take down the Little Rock barrier that made the study possible. Fifteen researchers, students and divers were on hand for the challenge: how to dismantle a 250-foot curtain…made of heavy black plastic, and partially submerged under years of sediment.

Thirty years of scientific study on a Vilas County lake will come to an end on Monday.

Scientists are removing a barrier that has divided Little Rock Lake in two since 1984. Researchers installed the barrier to conduct a landmark study on the effects of acid rain. Carl Watras is a research scientist with the state Department of Natural Resources. He's been involved with the Little Rock project since the beginning. Watras says at the time there was speculation about the effect of acid rain on lakes, but there was no definitive evidence.

If you frequent lakes in the Northwoods, you know that invasive species are a big problem. Take rainbow smelt – the tiny fish are known for outcompeting native fish and devouring their young. Once rainbow smelt get into a lake, it can be all but impossible to get rid of. Some approaches rely on chemicals that wipe out all fish species. But one project out of UW’s Trout Lake Research Station is experimenting with a new technique that could have many fewer side effects than the chemical method.